After months of speculation, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has made a decision on whether he'll run for congress in the newly-redrawn Congressional District Five. Gillum's answer: he'll be staying put.
In a statement released Friday, Gillum says his decision on whether to run is final.
"My reflections have shown me that my heart is with the City of Tallahassee. I will continue to assess how I can best serve our community and state in the future, but I am committed to fulfilling my term and building on the tremendous progress we have already made," he said.
Gillum first appeared to rule out a run back in December, when he told WFSU, “I have no plans of running for Congress. I absolutely love my job as mayor. I love the community that my wife and I have adopted as our home,” he said. But he later said he was "listening", and would make a decision after the holidays.
Now, he says he wants to stay where he can make change happen.
"When you're impatient about change, the way that I intend to be, I would much, much, much prefer to be in a place where I can have impact, rather than the ability to consider myself a member of Congress."
CD 5 is currently represented by Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Jacksonville. But her district has been redrawn from its Jacksonville-to-Orlando configuration to run east-to-west, from Jacksonville to Tallahassee.
Former state Representative Al Lawson says he'll challenge Brown for the seat. Brown has sued to block the changes in federal court.
Former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, former state Senator Tony Hill and current state Senator Audrey Gibson have been mentioned as potential candidates.
